About Stray Leaves
Stray Leaves began publishing in 1997, following genealogy research showing the Jesse James family tree was much larger than previously recognized. Consultation with Jesse's great grandson, Judge James R. Ross, demanded, "Where's the evidence?" The evidence produced by Eric F. James was substantial. With the contribution of the research archive of Joan Beamis that produced the first family genealogy in 1970, research continues to grow, as does the Stray Leaves website and its social community of contributors and followers.
Judge Ross then directed Eric F. James to write a history of the Jesse James family. With so much new evidence discovered, and the first volume of Jesse James Soul Liberty already an award winner, four additional volumes will document and show the epic panorama of the historic James family. Meanwhile, public events like the Jesse James Gang & Family Reunion of 2002, will continue to offer the public personal contact and an intimate understanding of Jesse James and his family that no historian can provide.
Meet the team
Eric F. James
Founder & Chief Leaf BlowerJames Preservation Trust co-founder with Judge James R. Ross * Archivist of the Joan Beamis Research Archive that produced the first genealogy of the Jesse James family, Background of a Bandit * Supervised and executed exhumation and re-internment of Jesse's twin children, Gould & Montgomery James * Publisher of Stray Leaves and Leaves of Gas * Author of Jesse James Soul Liberty
Judge James R. Ross
Co-Founder: Where's the Evidence?A great-grandson of Jesse James * Grew up with Jesse Jr. as his de facto father * Was privy to what other James family never heard * Wrote the book, I, Jesse James * President of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association * Bank founder * Judge - Superior Court of Orange County, California * Famous for his landmark ruling against Disneyland, upholding social justice & civil rights for gays * Co-founder of The James Preservation Trust
Steve Leonard
Co-Founder & ConsoltantCo-founder of The James Preservation Trust. * Underwriter of the James family's DNA study * First career was a musician in the rock group The Cretones * A second cousin to William Napoleon Hudspeth, Robert Nicholas Hudspeth, and to Joel Rufus Hudspeth, and also to the brothers Benjamin J. and George S. Morrow, all of Quantrill's Guerillas. Also a cousin of Playboy publisher, Hugh Heffner.
Our skills
While much of what we do gets done behind the scenes, our goal is to bring you what we find comprehensively in depth and with insight. We are dedicated to documenting the James family and to reporting on its revelations, in ways that are both entertaining and enlightening.
